domingo, 29 de setembro de 2013

The resemblance between King George V and Tsar Nicholas II was so remarkable that numerous instances of mistaken identity occured. Probably the worst was at the wedding of the then Prince of Wales to Mary of Teck in 1893. At the reception Prince George was mistaken by one of the guests who asked him if he had come to London on business or simply for the wedding. Prince George replied that as it was his wedding he felt he should attend.

Tsar Nicholas II, who was murdered by the Bolsheviks in 1917, and King George V were both first cousins. No wonder Prince Philip said in 1967:

“I’d like to go to Russia very much – although the bastards murdered half my family.”

sexta-feira, 27 de setembro de 2013

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have just announced the christening of Prince George will take place on Wednesday, 23rd October at The Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace. Prince George will be christened by The Archbishop of Canterbury.

Chapel Royal: The Queen`s Golden Jubilee Window (2002)

One of the Chapel's most notable organists and composers was George Frederick Handel, who was appointed by George II. Handel composed the great anthem 'Zadok the Priest' for the coronation of George II in 1727 and it has been used at every coronation since. It is also sung each year at the Royal Maundy service in which the Queen distributes Maundy money.

Queen Victoria was married in the Chapel, and her marriage certificate, hand-written by the Archbishop of Canterbury and signed by both bride and groom, hangs on the wall in the vestry.

In 1997, the coffin of Diana, Princess of Wales lay before the altar where her family and friends could pay their respects in private, before the Princess's funeral in Westminster Abbey.

Nighthawk is a person who normally stays up late at night. It is also the name of the famous painting by the American artist Edward Hopper.

In the second painting Gottfried Helnwein, an Austrian artist born in 1948, based his work on Hopper´s but substituted the four lonely people for the four American idols of the 20th century:Humphrey Bogart,

segunda-feira, 23 de setembro de 2013

Robert Fortune (1812-1880) was a Scottish botanist who was sent to China by the Horticultural Society of London to research and collect exotic plants. He made two long journeys and lived in the country between 1842 and 1845.

Fortune was completely fascinated with the landscape he found and learned Mandarin so that he could travel freely. As a result of his travels many new exotic flowers and plants were introduced in Europe like the famous bonsai. In Fujian, Fortune learned the secrets of tea plant care such as oxidising of tea leaves. Consequently he discovered that green and black tea are from the same plant. His journey is described in his book A Journey to the tea countries of China.

English Heritage blue plaque outside Robert Fortune’s home at 9 Gilston Road, Chelsea, London

However his most famous accomplishment was the successful transportation of tea from China to India in 1848 on behalf of the British East India Company. He was chosen because of his knowledge of the country, local customs and language. His mission, though, was no longer concerned with research, but instead to steal the secrets of tea.

As purchasing tea plants was forbidden by the Chinese government of the time, Fortune disguised himself as a Chinese merchant. He wore local dress, shaved his hair and grew a pigtail for some of his journeys. These lasted for more than what was allowed for a European traveler at the time, as he visited forbidden areas of China that had only been visited by the Portuguese before. If he were caught he could face the death penalty.

The technology and knowledge that he brought from China, was very helpful in the later flourishing of the Indian tea industry. In 1866 only 4% of the tea consumed in England came from India. In 1903 it increased to 59%. The Chinese could not understand how their tea secret could have escaped while in Darjeeling, a town in India, the production of tea was growing fast.

I would like to dedicate this post to a dear friend who visited Canterbury recently and sent me this beautiful picture. I wish I were there too!

sábado, 21 de setembro de 2013

Passionada is a 2002 romantic comedy film directed by Dan Ireland and starring Jason Isaacs, Sofia Milos, Emmy Rossum, Seymour Cassel and Theresa Russell. The screenplay is by the brothers Jermanok and David Bakalar was the producer.

The story of the film is set in New Bedford, MA- USA where a large population of Portuguese descendants live. Some stars of the film attended the world première in New Bedford.

Celia Amonte (Sofia Milos) is a beautiful Portuguese-American woman who lost her husband, a fisherman, to an accident at sea. Eight years after his death, Celia remains loyal to her late husband's memory, even though her teenage daughter, Vicky (Emmy Rossum), frequently encourages her to start dating again. Vicky meets a handsome Englishman named Charlie Beck (Jason Isaacs), who gambles for a living. and makes him watch her mother perform at a local nightclub, where she sings the fado. Charlie is immediately taken with her, but Celia isn't especially interested in him. In time, Charlie's charm eventually conquers Celia and a romance begins to bloom…

quinta-feira, 19 de setembro de 2013

Thomas Edison (1847-1931), the famed American inventor developed many devices that increased our quality of life. Some of them were the phonograph, the motion picture camera and the light bulb. In 1896, he made history again by recording the first kiss in the history of cinema, which was considered scandalous at the time.

terça-feira, 17 de setembro de 2013

Prince Harry, Patron of the Walking With The Wounded charity, spent around 20 hours in a giant freezer in Warwickshire alongside his four teammates - all of whom have amputated limbs after sustaining injuries in Afghanistan - to simulate the tough conditions he will face when he treks to the South Pole this winter. After emerging from the huge testing facility, in which temperatures dropped to as low as minus 55C, the Prince blew into his hands and rubbed them together to warm up as he chatted with his teammates over tea and biscuits.

segunda-feira, 16 de setembro de 2013

The Duke of Edinburgh has made memorable accidental remarks during his reign as the Queen's consort. In 1981 he was interviewed for the Jimmy Young Show. Asked about the current levels of unemployment he replied: “A few years ago everybody was saying we must have more leisure- everybody´s working too much. Now that everybody got more leisure, they are complaining they´re unemployed. People don´t seem to be able to make up their minds what they want, do they?"

domingo, 15 de setembro de 2013

Land, As Far As the Eye Can See: Portuguese in the Old West was written by Donald Warrin and Geoffrey L. Gomes and provides a history of the opening, conquest, and development of the American West by narrating the deeds of Portuguese pioneers. It is the 21st volume of the Portuguese in the Americas Series, which documents the variety and complexity of the Portuguese-American experience.

This updated version was published by Tagus Press at UMass Dartmouth, Department of the Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture in March 2013.

terça-feira, 10 de setembro de 2013

“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Americans honour and respect their flag. When students say the Plede of Allegiance before school starts they must put their right hand over their heart.

The Pledge of Allegiance was written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy (1855–1931) and was formally adopted by Congress in 1942. It has been modified four times since its composition. Congress added the words "under God" in 1954 due to the red scare over the Soviet Union.

1892

"I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

1892 to 1922

"I pledge allegiance to my Flag and to the republic for which it stands: one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

1923

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States, and to the republic for which it stands; one Nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all."

1924 to 1954

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United Statesof America, and to the republic for which it stands; one Nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all."

1954 to Present
"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Some might argue that it is a nationalistic slogan. Evidently, it is an emotional appeal to patriotism which may not be to everybody’s liking, but I am aware that children in the United States are not forced to proclaim vocally their allegiance. It is also a sign, perhaps, that the United States is still a “new” country, for in older countries like Portugal, there is no need to make such pledges.

Now an unidentified family of a student at a school in suburban Boston, has filed a lawsuit against the phrase ”under God” saying it violates the Equal Rights Amendment of the Massachusetts Constitution. It is the first such case to be tried on the state level: All previous attempts have been argued in federal court on the grounds that "under God" was an unconstitutional violation of the separation of church and state.

Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Sweden are the world's happiest countries, according to the survey of 156 countries. The United States came in at number 17, but it still lags behind Canada (6), Australia (10), Israel (11) the United Arab Emirates (14) and Mexico (16), according to the 2013 World Happiness Report. The United Kingdom came in at 22 between Venezuela (20) and Brazil (24)

"People can be unhappy for many reasons -- from poverty to unemployment to family breakdown to physical illness," the report said.

Improvements in the quality of life have been particularly prevalent in Latin America and the Caribbean, while reductions have been the norm in the regions most affected by the financial crisis or recent political and civil turmoil.

segunda-feira, 9 de setembro de 2013

A new painting by the Dutch master Vincent Van Gogh (1853- 1890) has come to light.

The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, which holds the largest collection of the artist's work, announced on Monday the discovery of a newly identified painting, a landscape titled "Sunset at Montmajour". It depicts a landscape in the vicinity of Arles in the south of France, where Van Gogh was working at that time. The museum attributed the painting to Van Gogh after "extensive research into style, technique, paint, canvas, the depiction, Van Gogh's letters and the provenance."

Starting September 24, it will appear in "Van Gogh At Work," an exhibition currently on show at the museum in Amsterdam.

Van Gogh achieved little recognition as an artist during his lifetime, but his reputation blossomed in the years after his suicide at the age of 37, following years of mental illness.

His works now hang in leading museums and galleries around the world.

In its statement, the Van Gogh Museum didn't divulge the full story behind the discovery of "Sunset at Montmajour," saying it would be published in the October edition of The Burlington Magazine, a fine art publication, and at the museum.

Louis van Tilborgh and Teio Meedendorp, two senior researchers at the museum, said the painting had belonged to the collection of van Gogh's younger brother, Theo, in 1890 and was sold in 1901.

I am a great admirer of Van Gogh´s work. In 2010 I had the opportunity to visit “The Real Van Gogh- The Artist and His Letters” in the Royal Academy of Arts in London where I learned about his amazing writing skills. His correspondence, displayed next to his paintings, showed a remarkable ability to communicate ideas, feelings, art and life in an emotive language. What then surprised me most about the letters to his brother Theo was his ability to join his writing with tiny sketches of his work.

The Royal Baby Book: A Souvenir Album is an official publication to celebrate the birth of Prince George who was born in London on 22nd July 2013.

It looks back at seven heirs to the throne from Queen Victoria to Prince George through items from the Royal Collection, the Royal Archives and the private collections of members of the Royal Family.

It also includes unpublished images of the Queen from her childhood. The photographs were taken by her parents and show that the future Queen's love of horses began from an early age: Princess Elizabeth began to learn to ride in the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace at the age of just three and a half, and was able to ride on her own by the time she was six.

domingo, 8 de setembro de 2013

Eight Portuguese firefighters died this summer while serving our community, fighting against the numerous fires in the north of Portugal.

An hommage to firefighters in Linda-a- Velha

by Luís Cruz

I think we can´t thank firefighters enough for dedicating their lives to protecting our safety. The number of those that were caught by the fire is increasing every week. They were all very young and I can´t stop thinking of their families. They are indeed all heroes, although this is never enough consolation for all those that have suffered a loss.Hopefully, in some way, we can prevent this from happening in the future.

My father worked as a volunteer firefighter before he got married in 1944. I can understand my mother’s concern with my father’s volunteer work.

sábado, 7 de setembro de 2013

15 years ago, Google, the American multinational corporation specializing in Internet-related services was founded by entrepreneurs Larry Page and Sergey Brin while they were Ph.D students at Stanford university.

The Veronica Rudge Green Prize in Urban Design is a Harvard University - Department of the Graduate School of Design - award. This prize was established in 1986 on the occasion of the celebration of Harvard’s 350th and the GSD’s 50th anniversaries and to mark the visit of the Prince of Wales to Harvard and the GSD. The Prize is awarded every two years to recognize excellence in urban design projects during the previous ten years. Siza Vieira, a renowned Portuguese architect received the first award.

On its 11th edition (September 2013) Eduardo Souto de Moura is awarded the prize as the coordinator of the project “Metro do Porto”.

Award-winning projects are selected because they make an exemplary contribution to the public area of a city and improve the quality of life in that context.